Content:

(Pa, B, C, Ro, Ho, LLL, V, SS, N, AA, D, MM) Mixed pagan worldview with some moral values that include reuniting with your family, looking past differences, loving those who hurt you, and sacrificing oneself for a friend, with some Romantic notions of love and living without rules, plus some comical references to homosexuality; more than 35 obscenities (including multiple “f” words) and 25 profanities, depicted urination, child vomits, the middle finger is used multiple times; a rabbit is dressed for a meal, a snake bites a teenager on the leg; some strong crude sexual content includes light teenage kissing, a random man and women kiss and begin to undress in a creek but are interrupted, reference to masturbation and other sexual references, and one awkward boy thinks he’s homosexual but he’s not because he’s just confusing the word “gay” for something else; girls in bikini’s and a woman is briefly seen in her underwear, upper male nudity; lots of underage drinking and in one instance some teenagers are drunk; light smoking; and, some racist jokes and rebellious teenagers talk back to parents, run away from home, and live pretty irresponsibly in the woods and though some of it is resolved, they never truly apologize for their actions.

Summary:

THE KINGS OF SUMMER is a comedy about three teenage boys who build a house in the woods to avoid living by their parents’ rules. THE KINGS OF SUMMER is funny and quirky, with some positive values concerning the family, but its R-rated foul language and underage drinking make it unacceptable viewing.

Review:

THE KINGS OF SUMMER is a “coming of age” comedy about three teenage boys on the verge of adolescence.

Joe Toy lives with his single father Frank, who from Joe’s perspective is determined to make his life miserable. Joe’s best friend, Patrick, is experiencing his own parental problems. After hurting his foot, Patrick is now prohibited from everything and treated like a child. Joe is fed up by his over controlling father and comes up with a great solution with Patrick. They can build their own house deep in the woods and live their own lives with no rules. Accompanied by a strange kid named Biaggio, they set out to build their home in the woods; and, when the time is right, they’ll leave their parents for good.

Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio complete their makeshift house in the woods and are finally ready to commit to their new lives. They vow to catch their own food, collect their own water and never reveal their camp’s location to anyone. Comical adventures ensue as they goof off in the woods and enjoy a life with no rules. Meanwhile, the parents franticly search for their sons and begin to question the way they treat them.

Eventually, the three boys get a little bored. So, Joe invites a girl he likes, Kelly, to see the camp. However, things don’t go so well when Kelly gets close to Patrick instead. This threatens their friendship and alliance.

THE KINGS OF SUMMER is very quirky and has lots of funny moments, mostly delivered by the wacky, idiosyncratic Biaggio. Filmed in a small town in Ohio, the movie’s beautiful yet simple Midwestern landscapes may remind some viewers of their own young adventures in the wilderness. The comedy is portrayed from a teenager’s exaggerated imagination, so much of it is unexpected and over the top, while the dramatic elements are somewhat predictable. Some of the editing choices seemed to serve stylistic purposes rather than the actual story.

The heart of the movie is about the bond one has with one’s family and friends. As such, THE KINGS OF SUMMER has some moral values that promote family members to have good relationships with each other. Frank learns how to love his son. Also, Joe learns what friendship means, even putting his life on the line at one point.

Sadly, however, THE KINGS OF SUMMER is rife with foul language and crude references. Any lessons of friendship will likely be lost on teenagers. Instead, they will probably pick up on the underage drinking and foul-mouthed discourse. Thus, THE KINGS OF SUMMER isn’t appropriate viewing due to its excessive amount of bad behavior and offensive content.

In Brief:

THE KINGS OF SUMMER is a “coming of age” comedy about three teenage boys on the verge of adolescence. Joe lives with his single father Frank, who from Joe’s perspective is determined to make his life miserable. Joe decides he’s tired of living by his dad’s rules. So, Joe, his best friend, and their quirky companion build a house in the woods where they can live by their own rules. While they live their weeks out in the woods, the parents search tirelessly for their sons. THE KINGS OF SUMMER is very quirky, with many funny moments. The comedy is portrayed from a teenager’s exaggerated imagination, so much of it is unexpected and over the top. The heart of the movie is about the bond one has with family and friends. There are some moral values promoting positive relationships. Joe’s father learns how to love his son. Also, Joe learns what friendship really means, even putting his life on the line. Sadly, however, THE KINGS OF SUMMER is rife with strong foul language and crude references, plus teen alcohol use, making it unacceptable.